Senate Intelligence Committee wants Facebook to appear in a public Russia hearing

8 months

According to its chairman, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence intends to call Facebook to a public hearing on Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. North Carolina Senator Richard Burr made remarks to reporters on Tuesday confirming the committee’s interest in speaking with Facebook, the Hill reports. “We’re in agreement on a Facebook public hearing,” Burr said. “It’s just a question of when and potentially the scope.”

Facebook has also reportedly cooperated with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia and the Trump administration, handing over detailed information on political ads that were bought on its platform by entities with suspected links to the Russian government. So far, the company has refused to share these ads to the public in spite of calls for it to do so in the name of transparency. Mueller’s investigation and the Senate probe into Russia and the 2016 election are operating concurrently.

The committee isn’t just interested in Facebook. Its ranking Democrat, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, confirmed that Twitter is also expected to appear before the group in a private briefing some time soon.